Angel Without Wings
by Mangaka in Training
Summary: It seems almost impossible, doesn't it? That a human could be raised in Heaven and live there, raised by goddesses. He's starting to bloom from an adult into a man, but he may be going too fast. Will the guidance of a Valkyrie bring the two together? OGx?
1. Childhood starts

Disclaimer: I do not own Ah! My Goddess or any of it's characters

Mangaka: I know what you're thinking. "Mangaka in Training, what are you thinking? You're supposed to be writing the next chapter for A Soul Like Mine: REDUX"! Well, I can explain that. I've hit a slight snag in my writing, so I'm doing this little side project to try and get my groove back. Anyways, here's what you should know. This story starts right after Lind returns to Heaven after taking care of the Angel Eater on Earth. That's basically when it takes place. As for where, it's based in Heaven, but in the future, who knows? Anyways, enjoy, my readers!

Chapter 1

Childhood starts

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"Whooohooooo!!" a young blonde exclaimed happily as he raced through a hallway full of distressed system maintenence workers, his long hair waving wildly in the wind. A lone Valkyrie chased after him, screaming at him the entire time.

"Maximilian Reginald Valentine! Slow down right now!" the blonde warrior screamed at the young man. "On second thought," she said, dodging a flying piece of debris, "Just stop moving altogether! And where did you get that glider from? You don't have the authorization to- gack!" A piece of rubble smacked her in the face as she chased after her charge.

Max ignored her up until the debris hit her. At that point he jumped off and landed on the ground safely, with almost cat-like ease. However, the glider which was supposed to be used for goddesses training to fly, went flying off uncontrollably and crash-landed into the wall. As it caught fire, multiple gods and goddesses moved in to extinguish it with water based magic. The young blonde raced over to the Valkyrie, obviously worried. "Velda! Are you okay?" The young man was met with a powerful punch to the face. Said Valkyrie then pulled the boy into a nelson, holding him down on the ground.

"Am I okay?! Next time I say slow down, slow down! What in Heaven's name is wrong with you?! And where did you get the glider?!" The Valkyrie was obviously a bit peeved.

Max struggled uselessly against the goddesses grip, only making himself more uncomfortable. "I'm sorry! Jeez! I got it from a trainee after I promised her a date, okay?"

The blonde goddess seemed to become angrier at this. "A date? A DATE?! You know that you're prohibited from such activity!! I can't begin to tell you how many rules you've violated in the past fifteen seconds!"

"Did I break any records?"

"SHUT UP!!!"

With that, Velda tightened her grip on the poor boy, making him yelp out a bit. An older god with long brown hair approached the two, smiling and laughing at the sight. "Velda, please. He's only human."

"So what Yrutai? That's no excuse for his behaivior!"

Yrutai smiled as he pulled her away from the boy, and observed the chaos around him. "I know that. I mean you'll break his body if you keep wrestling with him like that. But Maximilian, you realy should consider what you do before you do it. After all, just look at this mess. The Almighty One will not be pleased with this." Max sighed and looked at his feet, a bit of guilt in his tone.

"Sorry... it's just so boring with Velda constantly playing the bore patrol, that's all."

Velda huffed a bit at that. "I'm the "bore patrol" only because you constantly get into trouble. If you'd sit down in the library or something else quiet, I wouldn't need to be wasting both our time."

Max shook his head. "Nah, nah. Reading is for nice sunny days when you can sit on a hill all alone and enjoy the view."

The Valkyrie exploded at that. "IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY HERE!"

Max plugged his ears with his fingers, nodding. "Yeah, but I'm never left alone. I constantly have you or some other Valkyrie chasing me around. And the only one who ever likes to train me is Lind. You guys just say "it's too dangerous" and "you're only human, you'll get killed"!" he said with a mocking tone as he imitated the blonde goddess.

Yrutai smiled nervously, placing a hand on Velda's shoulder. "Hey, listen for a second Maximilian, it is dangerous for you. Lind is different, she doesn't really understand that you have your limits. Actually, the Almighty One and I have been discussing whether or not we should let her watch you anymore."

"WHAT?!"

Yrutai's nervous smile grew a bit as he took Max aside, walking away from the destruction that was already mostly repaired. Velda simply huffed angrily and walked towards the direction of her division.

000

"Max," Yrutai began, "You have to understand, you're a very special person. We can't simply allow you to put yourself in harm's way, that would be a breach of contract."

Max mumbled before speaking clearly. "If you wanna keep me out of harm's way, you should keep me away from Velda. She's the real threat here." Yrutai chuckled and threw his cloak over Max.

"You know she has your best interests at heart. She's just very protective of you. Some might say she's developed a crush of sorts on you."

Max shook his head and laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, I think you have that put together the wrong way. What you really mean is that she's developed a will to crush me." Yrutai laughed at his young friend's humor, he himself couldn't tell a good joke to save his life.

000

Velda sighed as the hot water rained down on her. She sat down cross-legged, letting the water soothe away her tension. "That boy is such an idiot." She looked up at the ceiling, which was actually a type of illusion. It looked like a blue sky with moving clouds scattered around it, and was almost realistic in every way. Such was the type of magic that worked in the Valkyrie division of Heaven.

Another Valkyrie joined in her lone conversation. "You're talking about Max again huh? We all heard what happened. He kind of has a knack for getting into the kind of trouble that blows stuff up huh?" Velda looked up to see one of her comrades walk up to her, and sit down next to her. "If we ever needed a weapon against the demons, all we'd have to do is send Max down after them!" her comrade joked.

Velda laughed with her, smiling. "Yeah, I guess. The good news is that my week to watch him is over. It's Lind's shift tomorrow."

Her friend laughed nervously. "Actually, Lind's away on buisness on Earth right now. Which means... ehe..."

Velda laughed again, nudging her friend with her elbow. "Which means it's your turn by default huh Binya? Don't worry, he's probably used up all his fun attitude with this little escapade!"

Binya groaned and looked up to the ceiling, where even the warm water cascading down didn't seem to soothe her worries. Her jet-black hair glimmered in the water, and she layed back on the floor, groaning again in distress. "Why... why did it have to be meeee?!"

000

Yrutai and Max enjoyed some lunch before the two friends began to head back to his quarters. Suddenly, Max looked up, as if he was aware of something that Yrutai didn't see. "... Maximilian? Maximilian, is something wrong?"

Max didn't answer, he only looked out at the sky. Slowly, a small smile crept accross his lips. "Lind... Lind's back home!" With that, Max sped off, running in an arbitrary direction. Yrutai looked at the space Max once occupied only moments ago blankly, and then began to realize what was going on, although it took him a second for his mind to catch up.

"Max, wait!"

000

The showering duo laughed as they made their way out of the shower, towels wrapped around them. They made their way to the locker room, which was basically a room with seperate pocket dimensions for each Valkyrie and their things. Every door opened up when a Valkyrie used her unique sigil to act as a combination for the locks.

Binya was the first to notice that there was someone else in the locker room with them. A blue-haired goddess clad in a standard Valkyrie uniform greeted them with a dull expression. "Oh thank the Almighty! Lind, I thought you were gone? Oh who cares, thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!" The excited Valkyrie bounded up and embraced her comrade happily.

The blue-haired goddess looked at Binya curiously, not understanding just why she was being so warm with her so suddenly. "Binya, why are you hugging me? I've just come from my work on Earth, I need to get some relaxation. Will you get off please?"

The black-haired goddess jumped off and floated in the air rather than landing. She spun happily, knowing she wouldn't have to put up with Maximilian the next day. While she was doing her little dance, Velda smiled and greeted her comrade warmly. "Lind, it's good to see you back. When did you get here?"

Lind opened up her personal locker, waving her hand as a unique symbol spread over the lock. "Only a few minutes ago," she replied, keeping her militaristic attitude. "And why is she so excited?" she asked, pointing to her still-dancing comrade.

Velda grinned in a matter-o-factly manner. "Isn't it obvious? Max has been causing trouble again. It's actually your turn tomorrow, but because you weren't here, she was afraid she'd have to do it again."

Lind opened her door and placed a few things inside, also taking out a towel with a golden embroidered L on it. Her uniform materialized away and she wrapped the towel around her. "You know, after my week is up, it'll still be you turn anyways Binya." Binya's little balloon seemed to pop as she heard that, and she sank back to the ground sadly.

"You just had to bust my bubble, huh?"

Suddenly a large commotion was heard outside, and a yell of "you can't go in there!" was heard before the door to the showers was thrust open, and a blonde streak made it's way to the trio. Lind had no time to defend herself as a hyperactive blonde boy tackled her to the ground. "Lind! Lind Lind Lind! You're back you're back you're back!" shouted an excstatic Max as he hugged the life out of the Valkyrie. "I missed you so much! When did you get back? Did you bring me a t-shirt? A souvenier? How was Earth? Was it great down there? Did you find a boyfriend down there? Didja fall in love?"

Lind answered all of the questions effortlessly and in perfect order. "Only three minutes ago, no, no, it was fine, I suppose, no, and what do you think?" Apparently, she was used to Max's little hyperactive questionarres. "Now would you please get off of me? I'm tired and I have to take a shower."

Max stopped moving completely for a moment, not even bothering to move off of his friend. He moved his face closer, and sniffed the air around her a bit, almost like he was testing something. "Hmmmm..."

"Max," Binya started, "Are you going to-"

"Something's different," he said, interrupting her. "Lind, what happened down on Earth, huh? Something happened, I know. You're different." Lind lifted herself off of the ground, sending Max tumbling to the floor. He sat up and looked at Lind curiously. "Well? C'mon, you can tell me. Oh, I get it, you can't say in front of everyone here, right? Okay, I understand, you can tell me tomorrow!" With that, Max got up and turned around. He was surprised to see at least five angry Valkyries staring back at him. The last sound he made before losing conciousness was a meek little "eep".

Lind shook her head and sighed, knowing it was her turn to take care of the "blonde hurricane" tomorrow. Velda and Binya patted her on the shoulders as they watched the long-haired menace get dragged away by the angry fighters.

000

_Entry number 427_

_January 14_

_Guess what? Lind came back today!:heart heart: I'm so happy:heart: And just in time too! If she hadn't come back today, I would've had to spend the week with Binya! No offence, but she's kind of whiney. She acts like it's a bad thing to hang out with me. Then again, alot of people think that..._

_Lind was on Earth, so I'm hoping she'll have something to tell me when she comes over tomorrow! I can't wait to hear about Earth, it sounds so cool! Plus, it's the place where I was born too. That must mean it's a special place. I'm so giddy I can't even sleep! Also, today I did something a bit stupid. I crashed a glider into the building where all of the system maintainers for Yggdrasil work. Last time I did that, the head sys admin Urd almost fried me! I'm lucky she wasn't around today. Come to think of it, I haven't seen her for a very long time now, or her little sister either. Hmm..._

_Velda chewed me out for it later, and she got hurt chasing me. I feel bad about that. But Yrutai came along and saved me! I'm thankful he was around. But then he actually suggested that Velda LIKED me. I'm sure that she doesn't completely dislike me, but she doesn't like me, not like that, I know that much for sure._

_If there is someone I like... hmm... I'd have to say it'd be Lind:heart heart: She's nice to me, and I get to have fun with her when she watches me! She's teaching me how to fight. Oh yeah, Yrutai said that he and the Almighty One talked about making her stop watching me. I don't like that idea, and I don't know why they would do that. Sure, training is dangerous, but it wouldn't be fun if it wasn't at least a bit dangerous! That's why Lind doesn't use magic on me, she doesn't want to hurt me. And I know that she's holding back on me. I've seen her train, I know she can do better than what she does to me._

_Also, the other day one of the Valkyries said that I needed to act my age. I'm not quite sure I understand, I've never seen any other humans my age. Apparantly, I'm around 13 in human years. I got some books from the library about humans, and apparantly I'm going through a natural stage of human life called "puberty". I'm supposed to get taller and grow facial hair and other cool stuff. But it sounds like what some of the other gods my age went through when they got their angel. Does that mean I'm going to get an angel? I wonder... I'll ask Lind tomorrow._

_Anyways, I managed to sneak and angel's egg out of Lind's locker when she wasn't looking. I don't know why she had it, she already has a really cool angel. But something is different about her now. She seems different, and I'm almost certain something happened on Earth while she was there. I have alot of questions for her to answer._

_That's all for now! 'Night!_

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Just so you guys know, every chapter will end with a little diary exerpt of Max's, so you can get inside the character's head a bit better. And remember, I beg for your reviews!


	2. Day 1: Lind

Disclaimer:

Mangaka: Okay! By popular demand, I'm continuing this story! If I had known people would like Max this much, I would've made him a character of mine a long time ago! I do not own Oh My Goddess!.

Damion: Hey! I've been sitting around doing nothing for awhile now! Where is my story?!

Mangaka: People aren't interested in you anymore! Consider yourself lucky I'm even thinking about starting up your story again!

Damion: Waaah! Don't neglect me people! Please, he'll delete me!

Mangaka: Get back in your cardboard box you reject!

Chapter 2

Day 1: Lind

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Max tackled Lind as soon as she opened the door to his home. She fell just oustide, and the excited blonde smiled down at her. "Hi Lind! Ready to go?"

He got off of her without being told this time, and helped her back up. She dusted herself off before speaking. "Your greetings are enough to make me stay on my toes Max. Anyways, we can't go anywhere just yet. The Almighty One wishes to speak with you. Yrutai has already said he'll be showing at your little meeting, and I've been asked to join you there. He also told me we may not be spending a lot of time together anymore."

Max shook his head vigorously. "No way! I don't care what he says, you're my friend and I wanna spend time with you! That's what you think too, right Lind? You want to spend time with me, huh?" Lind looked down at the little blonde, trying to find a way to say she didn't know for certain, but she could only mutter a yes, and managed to smile at him. "Lind! You smiled? Wow! I've never seen you smile! You should do that more often, you're so pretty when you do!"

Lind blushed a little at his compliment. "Thank you Max. That's very nice of you."

"It's true. You're so pretty when you smile." Max began to walk with her towards their destination, smiling and humming a little tune the entire way there. "So, tell me what happened on Earth! You've changed since you got back, I can tell." Lind seemed hesitant at first, trying to think of an excuse not to say anything about what happened. But, as with before, she couldn't hide things from Max's piercing smile.

Lind looked around, making sure no one was nearby. Pulling max behind a growth of trees, she called out for her twin angels, Cool Mint and Spear Mint. Each one had only a single wing, making them unique. Max marveled at the twins, and they smiled at him gently. "Wow, that's so cool Lind! You met your other angel? What's her name?"

Lind clamped a hand over Max's mouth, and looked around nervously. "Shh! Don't say it out loud! Listen, you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone, please?" The blonde nodded his head slowly. "Okay." She removed her hand from his mouth, and Max began to whisper.

"So, what's her name?"

The twin angels moved on either side of him, smiling and hugging him. Lind smiled at the sight as Max giggled a bit. "Her name is Cool Mint. What do you think of her?"

Max smiled, and the two angels smiled with him. "I think she's beautiful, just like you! They both are!" Max kissed each of the angels on the cheek, smiling. Cool Mint and Spear Mint both blushed, and Lind found her own face growing hot. "Cool Mint... and Spear Mint! They're so beautiful!"

Lind smiled at the child and called her angels back to her. Max sighed dissapointedly as they dissapeared, but was soon back to his normally cheery self as the two walked down the pathway to a large building in the center of a bustling city of gods. Most of them didn't walk the paths that Max and Lind were now walking, as flying was the only means of transportation that got them from one place to another quick enough during their busy scedules. A few of the gods and goddesses that passed by above gave cheery waves to Max and respectful nods in Lind's direction. Max waved ecstatically to them, while Lind simply continued on with her buisness.

The two walked inside the large building, the large glass double-doors opening automatically, as if expecting them. As soon as they closed, all the noise and commotion from outside was cut out, and nothing more was heard. A large stairway appeared before them, and Max energetically took it two steps at a time, Lind following quietly behind him. As they reached the top, a large floating monolith became visible, and Lind caught up with Max, catching him by the collar and forcing him to slow down. Despite his protests and struggling, Lind managed to walk him over to the large stone, and forced him on his knees, bowing low as well.

It took a moment for Max to realize that Yrutai, Velda, and Binya were there as well, all kneeling before the large stone. Max knew who the pillar represented, but he didn't see the point of formality at his age. "Welcome, Max," said a powerful voice from the pillar. The voice echoed through the room, and held a firm and powerful presence. But it still managed to be calm and gentle at the same time. "I'm glad to see that you could make it." Max smiled up at the pillar, but Lind's grip on his neck kept him from speaking. "Do you know why you are here?"

Max shook his head, he never knew completely why Yrutai and his other caretakers did anything relating to him. "We are here to discuss how you are being raised, and to assess how you have grown and what would be a good way to make sure you are raised well. And of course, we need your input on these matters." Max nodded, still not completely understanding what he said. "Yrutai."

"Yes Almighty One," Yrutai answered calmly.

"You have done an excellent job as a mentor to young Max. While not all of your lessons have managed to stay with Max, this is to be expected." Yrutai seemed happy to hear this, and he smiled to himself. "Max, what is your opinion of Yrutai, and the time you have spent with him?"

"Well," Max began, wriggling free of Lind's grip and standing up, causing Binya and Velda to hold their hands over their faces in embarassment, and causing Yrutai to chuckle, "He's like a big brother! Or... maybe a dad... I don't know, something like that. He's fun to hang out with, and he doesn't nag me alot. And he's always able to answer my questions!"

"I see," spoke the monolith, "Yrutai is a knowledgeable one."

Yrutai rubbed the back of his head, not looking up. "Almighty one, you flatter me."

"Think nothing of it. Binya." Binya stepped forward, kneeling down again. "While your ability to keep Max under your watch has been excellent, your ability to dicipline him is lacking. While it is understandable that raising a child to be diciplined is difficult, you need to be firmer in teaching him right from wrong." Binya's head sank a little, but her expression remained the same. "Max, what do you think of her?"

Binya looked at Max eagerly to hear his opinion of her, hoping it would redeem her a bit. "Well, she doesn't nag much either, it's more like when I get in trouble she whines at me." Binya's expression darkened a bit as she felt any chance for remdemption slip away. "But still, she's okay to hang out with, and she understands when I'm just trying to have some fun. Sometimes she'll even play with me." The black haired Valkyrie sighed in relief.

"Ah. Well, Binya, while you could use a bit more experience with children, you seem to be doing very well. Velda?"

"Yes, Almighty One," she said as she stepped forward.

"It would seem that you are almost the opposite of your comrade. Your are overly diciplinary, and you tend to have outbursts towards Max. On multiple occasions Yrutai has had to step in and restrain you from hurting him. And becuase you frequently lose track of him, he gets into trouble much of the time, which results in more restrained outbursts."

Velda seemed a bit distressed as she stumbled around her words. "W-well, sir, I try but... Max can be so difficult at times... and I-I--"

Max took this time to chime in, interrupting her. "I don't mind! I know I can be a bit of a bother sometimes, so I don't mind if she get's angry at me. And it's kinda funny to see her yelling!" Velda clenched her fist to keep herself from having an outburst in front of the Almighty One at that comment. "And besides, she's the only one who can match me at video games!"

The monolith was silent for a moment, making Velda sweat as she waited for an answer. "Very well, but your progress shall be watched carefully Velda." She sighed in relief and stepped down. "Now then... Lind."

"Yes sir!" she replied firmly.

"While it would appear that you have had little trouble with Max, his physical health is in question while he is with you. I have multiple reports from others who have seen the two of you training with each other in hand-to-hand combat, holding him in physically dangerous grapples, and even instances where you have been sparring with Valkyrie-issued battleaxes." Velda and Binya's eyes shot wide as they heard this, as even they had no idea that she'd go that far.

"Almighty One-"

"Lind, while I appriciate your excellent work in watching and raising Max, you seem to lack the knowledge that he is only human. Such activities could cause irrepairable physical damage to him."

Max cut into the Almighty One's lecture, surprising and somewhat horrifying everyone in the room. "Wait! I know that everyone says it's too dangerous for me, but please! Let me say something!"

The entire room was silent, and Yrutai almost feared for Max. After a moment that seemed like an eternity, the Almighty's pillar spoke. "Go on."

"Thank you. Listen, I know that I'm not able to do the same things as you guys can because I'm only mortal, and that I can get hurt easier. But I have lots of fun with Lind, and even though it's dangerous, she's really good at what she does. She's accidentally hurt me before, but nothing really bad. She knows how to pull punches, and she can control herself really well. And when I'm with her, I feel really happy, because she let's me do things that the others won't, because she beleives I can do them. No, it's because she beleives in me!"

Once again, silence settled over the room. Lind was surprised to hear what Max thought of their time together, and Yrutai finally saw why he liked her so much. After a short time, the floating monolith spoke again. "While I understand why you enjoy your time with her, I must be sure of your safety. I will give you this week to show me that you can change how you watch over Max, Lind. After which, I shall decide whether or not you are able to keep watch over him. Now then, if that is all, this meeting is dismissed."

000

Max sighed and kicked a wayward leaf as he walked down the path back to his home. Lind followed silently behind him, watching the back of his head. "Lind... I'm sorry I got you in trouble...," Max said crestfallenly. "I didn't mean to..."

Lind shook her head, even though he couldn't see her. "No, it's not your fault. I should be more delicate with you."

Max spun around, an anxious expression on his face. "But I don't mind training with you! I get healthier, and stronger, and I feel good doing it too! And besides, the others are too gentle with me! I'm not made of glass..." Max dejectedly looked at the ground, sighing again. Lind walked next to him, looking at him from the corners of her eyes. "If I were bigger, then they wouldn't think I was so delicate... a big, strong man..."

000

Later that night, Max ran through his home with a light blue pair of pajamas on, made up of a button-up shirt and a pair of light shorts. Lind chased after him, in a similar pair of white pj's with pants instead of shorts, and a dark blue lining. She chased him around the room, trying to get a towel around him. "Come on, your hair's all wet! You're going to get water on your furniture!"

Max shook his head wildly, spraying water all over, and even getting Lind a bit. "Nuh-uh, don't care!" Max ran into his kitchen, trying to evade Lind's grasp.

"Max, don't-!"

He slipped on the linoleum floor, falling squarely on his butt. "Owwch...," Max cried out, trying to get up, but slipping down again. Lind sighed, floated over the wet floor, and picked him up, taking him over into his livingroom and sitting down in a nearby chair. She put him in front of her, and he giggled as she dried his long hair.

"You should've been more careful. That's what you get for not drying off completely. And you really should take better care of your hair, for a boy you've got alot of it." She worked through it, dividing it into seperate strands to make it easier. The Valkyrie found it strange that a human, and a boy no less, would have such beautiful hair. It cascaded just beyond his shoulders, and shone brightly in the light. It was somewhat calming for her to work with it, and she found herself playing with each individual hair as she went along. It also seemed to calm down Max, and he had stopped wiggling around so much.

"Lind, I'm getting older, so I was wondering... does that mean I'm going to get an angel?"

The cerulean-haired goddess looked at Max curiously. "Now why would you think that?"

"Well, I'm getting older, and alot of the gods my age get their first angel around now, right?" Max looked up at Lind innocently.

"Well," she began, "You won't be getting an angel." A distinct "aww" was uttered by Max, but Lind went on. "Alot of things will be happening to you now, and you'll be maturing. You're only human though, so I'm afraid you won't be getting an angel." Max was a bit dissapointed by that, but he soon began to ask questions about Earth and what it was like. He was told about a man named Keiichi, in a place called Nekomi. The way Lind described him he was a brave, noble human. He also learned that Urd and Skuld had ended up on Earth with Belldandy, their sister, and that was why he hadn't seen them for so long. Soon, the calming feeling of Lind playing with his hair caused him to drift off to sleep.

Sighing, the blue haired goddess picked him up and carried him to his room. It was a special room, prepared so that it appeared to be the room of any other thirteen-year-old boy. Posters of his favorite shows donned the walls, and cards from various card games scattered about the floor. A TV was set against the wall, with a few game systems from Earth strewn in front of it. Lind took care to make sure she didn't step on any of the boy's valuables, and set him down in his bed gently. She pulled the sheets over him, and stared down at the blonde child. For a moment, the peaceful expression on his face seemed cute, and she smiled as she looked down at him.

She moved over to the door, looking back one last time before turning off the lights. She felt some kind of unexplainable maternal feeling towards him then, and words left her mouth before she could realize she was saying them. "Sleep well Max. And sweet dreams."

000

_Entry number 428_

_January 15_

_Today was kinda stressful. I had to go to this meeting with Lind to see the Almighty One. He thought that Lind shouldn't be watching me anymore, but I managed to convince him that she was doing a good job. But now she has a week to show that she can take care of me without sparring with me! A whole week without practicing with her... man, and I was looking forward to it too._

_Yrutai got a good report, and the Almighty even complimented him! For a big rock cylinder thingy, he's really nice. Binya got chewed out a bit for being a whiner, and I'm pretty sure that Velda's on thin ice for yelling at me so much. But I still hope that they all get to hang out with me. I wouldn't want them to get fired or something..._

_Also, Lind told me about Earth! But what was really surprising is that it's not too different from here. Turns out, she was staying with Lady Belldandy! I met her once, a long time ago. She's really nice! I guess some of her niceness rubbed of on Lind, because she's gentler now, and even smiles more! It's so pretty to see her smile... oh! She also got another angel! That's why her's only had one wing, because there was another one with the other wing! Cool Mint and Spear Mint... they're both really pretty... I want an angel just like them._

_The Almighty One must think I'm made of glass or something, 'cuz he kept bringing up how I was "just" human. I don't know why he's so worried about my health though. Maybe... if I was like a god, and could use magic like Lind, he'd trust me more... maybe if I had my own angel... wait! I have Lind's extra angel egg, right? I'll just use that! I don't know how this'll work... but I'll get an angel, and be able to use magic right? So then all I have to do is swallow it and I can practice with Lind! Okay... here goes:gulp:_

_It went down like a rock, but I did it! Hmmm... I don't feel any different... come forth!_

_Awww... I guess Lind was right... I guess I don't get an angel after all... oh well. I'll just have to figure out another way to be able to spar with her._

000

That night, Max tossed and turned in his sleep...

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Well, I must say that this story surprised me. I did not expect to get as many reveiws as I have. Apparantly Max is a bit endearing, ne? Anyways, I do appriciate your reveiws, so keep 'em coming! Also, to those expecting a new chapter for A Soul Like Mine: REDUX, I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit longer for that. Enjoy Spring Break everybody!


	3. Growing pains

Mangaka: Well, this story has gotten quite a bit of attention. Instead of wasting time with a witty and charming opening quote, I'll just get on with it. I do not own Oh My Goddess!.

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Chapter three

Growing pains

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Lind awoke early that morning, like she did every morning. She'd yawn, stretch, and get out of bed and stretch some more before going into the bathroom for her morning ablution, like she did every morning. She'd finish with that, then get dressed and prepare breakfast for that morning, like she did every morning. And to finish up, she went to Max's room to wake him up, like she did every morning.

However, this morning, she did something different to her usual schedule. She went into Max's room, shook him awake, then screamed. This was not what she'd usually do in the morning. Max awoke to the sound of her screaming rather negatively. "Jeez, you don't need to kill my ears just to wake me up in the morning. Lind?" He looked up to see Lind standing a good distance away with a mixed expression of confusion and fear.

"M-Max?! Is that... is that really you?"

Max looked at Lind quizzically, confused. "What do you mean?" he asked, "Of course it's me. Who else would I -" The blonde suddenly stopped, and looked down at himself. His pajamas were at least five sizes too small for him, and fit uncomfortably tightly around his chest... which had matured considerably. Instead of a smooth, slightly round tummy of a young boy, he now possessed hard abs and a subtly muscular chest. Now it was his turn to scream as he realized that his voice was not even his own. It sounded far deeper and more pronounced. He screamed again, this time Lind did too.

"Wh-wh-what's going on? Is this some kind of trick?!" the blue-eyed blonde yelled as he kicked the covers off and raced into the bathroom, checking himself in the mirror. A lot about him had changed. His chin had a bit of peach fuzz covering it, and he felt it with his hand, noticing how rough it felt. His features were all more pronounced, his eyes had narrowed a bit, his hair had grown down to his butt, and his pajama top was about to bust open, a few rips showing in it. His figure was far lither and subtly toned, and he was as tall as Lind, who had just stopped at the bathroom door, observing with a still confused expression.

"M-m-my hair! My chin! My shirt! Holy crap, my feet are huge!" They were actually quite normally proportioned to the rest of his new body, but it was still a bit much for the poor child to absorb. "Lind, what's going on?!" He also noticed that his speech was more linguistic and precise.

"I... I'm not sure... I have no idea what's... this is a bit... are you really Max?"

"Yes I'm Max! I think! Yeah... I'm... I think I am...," he said, pinching his face and pulling his cheek. While he continued to explore himself, Lind moved to the living room in a panicked rush.

The blue-haired Valkyrie moved quickly, picking up the nearest telephone and hitting the digits in a rush. "... C'mon, pick up- yes, this is Lind, I need to be routed to Yrutai. This is urgent." She listened to the goddess on the other line for a moment, then sighed. "Yes, it's about him. How did you guess? Uh-huh. Please, I don't have time for this, connect me to Yrutai immediately!"

After a few moments, Yrutai picked up on the other side of the line. "Yes, hello?"

"Yrutai! Thank the Almighty," Lind said exasperatedly. "I need you to get over here now!"

"Lind, are you okay? You sound a bit rushed. Is something wrong? It's not like you to panic."

"I'm not panicking. I'm just a bit nervous that Max jumped from thirteen to seventeen in one night."

"... I'm sorry, you lost me."

"Just get over here as soon as you can. I'll try to figure out what I can in the mean time. And don't tell Velda or Binya about this yet, I don't want them getting distressed." With that, she hung the phone on the receiver and returned to the bathroom, where Max had removed his shirt and was currently playing with his navel.

"Lind, look at this! It's perfectly round!" Lind massaged her temples and tried not to get agitated.

'It's going to be a long day...'

000

Yrutai was stunned. Here, in front of him, was something that he had never encountered. He had never read of such an instance ever happening before, and he had no idea what he'd look for even if he did know what was going on. "Okay...," he said, obviously carrying worry in his tone, "Okay... Max?"

"Yeah?"

"It really is you..." The brown haired god paced back and forth in the living room, his cloak swaying behind him with each step. He held his chin with one hand and furrowed his brow in concentration, trying to search for a reason, a way that this could happen. But he couldn't come up with a single explanation. "I can't believe this! I have no idea what's going on!" He threw his arms up in frustration, then sat down on the couch, massaging his temples. "Okay, Lind. Tell me what happened last night."

"Right," she started, going into an explanation of what all happened. "After we arrived home, Max said he was hungry, and I was able to prepare a meal for him. Afterwards, I performed my daily ablution and had him watch TV. After redressing, I brought Max in and washed him before bed. After chasing him around the room in an attempt to dry his hair, he slipped in the kitchen, at which point I looked him over for injuries while drying him. I then put him in bed, and went to bed myself."

Yrutai looked at her curiously. "Uh-huh. So basically what goes on every night. But did anything different happen? Besides the whole chasing thing, of course."

"Well, none that I can think of."

The brown-eyed god sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, and looked at Max, who was playing with his extra-long hair. "Max, did anything happen last night? Anything unusual? Anything you can remember?"

Max, startled, rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously. "Uh, no! Nothing weird happened that I can think of!" he lied.

Yrutai folded his hands and rested his chin on them. "Alright. Listen, this will eventually get out, but for now, let's not tell anyone else. I'll tell the Almighty One about this, and Lind? You watch Max and make sure he doesn't attract too much attention. Max, you- Max? Max? Max! Pay attention!"

Max stopped playing around with the hair on his chin and snapped to attention. "What? Oh, sorry… you were saying?"

Yrutai sighed and tried to think, trying to come up with a plan. Finally, something clicked. "Okay, come here." Max trotted over to the god, still feeling his chin. Yrutai placed his hand to the blue-eyed boy's forehead, muttering a few verses. A blue light appeared on Max's forehead, and as it died down it took the shape of a triangle. Similar marks appeared on his cheeks, and Yrutai smiled in relief.

"Alright, this should do as a good disguise for now. Max, you need to come with me. We're going to dress you up a bit…"

Max didn't get a chance to ask what he meant as he was immediately dragged off to the bathroom.

000

Lind was speechless. Yrutai had worked so hard to make Max look like a god that even she was fooled when she first saw him. He had given the youth an old set of robes that he had worn when he was younger, and had combed his hair thoroughly before tying it back. They had a bit of trouble shaving, but a quick healing spell fixed that up nicely. "Well," the ebony-haired mentor asked, "What do you think?"

The Valkyrie couldn't say a thing. She honestly had no words to describe what she was seeing. Max appeared to be a god, wholly and completely. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't use magic, he might actually be mistaken for one. "It's amazing… I almost didn't recognize him."

Yrutai beamed. "Is it really that hard to tell? I'm really that good? Heh, well then, you take good care of him. I'll go schedule a meeting with the Almighty one. In the mean time, make sure he lays low." With that, the god walked to the door.

"Wait a second!" yelled Lind behind him, "What am I supposed to do?"

"Just keep him busy. I'll be back later to see how you guys are doing, so don't let him near anything that may cause a fire!" He closed the door behind him before Lind could speak again.

'That's comforting…," she thought to herself, frowning. She turned around and headed back to the living room, where Max was trying to untie his hair.

"Lind," he grunted uncomfortably, "could you help me out here?" She took the tie out of his hair, noticing that it seemed even shinier than last night. "Thanks. So… what now?"

Lind sighed, and sat down on the couch heavily. She really had no idea what to do. "Well…," she said tiredly, out of ideas, "What do you want to do?" She regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth.

"I want to spar!" Max said cheerily. "Can we, huh, can we? I'm bigger now, so it should be okay, right?"

Lind got a sudden sneaking suspicion about what was going on. "Max… did you do anything I didn't see last night?"

Max tried to keep his cool, but he couldn't stop his heart from beating twice as fast. "No! Of course not, what would make you say something like that?! Ehehe, you're crazy Lind!" He turned around and rubbed the back of his head nervously, waiting for a reply.

"Hmm… well, I'm sorry. I can't do that, I'm supposed to be following the Almighty One's orders. We can go outside if you want, but you can't attract a whole lot of attention, got it?" Max looked crestfallen, but he nodded and followed Lind outside.

000

Lind sighed and rolled her eyes as another pair of goddesses passed by the two of them, giggling as Max waved cheerily to them. She was actually considering sparring with him now. The two began to walk through a large park, the scenery quiet and calm. A few people walked around the park, no doubt enjoying what little time they had to rest and relax. Max still attracted stares from a few young goddesses, and began to blush a little, embarrassed.

"Lind," he asked, "Do you think all those girls know it's me? They're all staring at me funny."

The Valkyrie shook her head and rolled her eyes for what must have been the thousandth time that day. "They all think you're attractive, and they've never seen you before. Of course they're going to stare."

The blue-eyed boy thought for a moment, then pointed to himself. "Attracted to me? You mean they like me?" Max smiled excitedly.

"They think you're attractive, that's all. It means you look good to them."

The blonde tilted his head innocently. "Look good? Am I really that good looking?"

Trying to change the subject suddenly, Lind pointed out an ice cream cart nearby, and Max's eyes immediately shot wide, and he rushed over to it quickly. Lind sighed and spoke to herself for a second. "Of course he's attractive… why would he ask me a question like that?" She walked over to him as he was about to swallow an ice cream cone whole. "Max, wait! You're going to get-!" The blonde began to dance around wildly, rubbing his nose. "-brain freeze…"

Max calmed down after a moment, still clenching his eyes shut from the cold. "Are you okay sweetie?" a female voice asked. He opened his eyes to see an older goddess he didn't recognize, and nodded quickly. "You have a bit of ice cream on your cheek… here, I'll get it." She dabbed it away with a napkin, and Lind felt something inside of her jump a bit.

'What was that?' She thought to herself. But in another moment she simply dismissed it, and looked back up to her charge.

"Thanks miss, you didn't have to though…"

The older woman smiled and giggled, shaking her head. "Oh, it's no problem, really. Just be a little more careful next time, alright?"

Lind stood nearby, watching the two of them talk for awhile, suddenly noticing a god stalking up to the two. She instantly felt a threat from him, but by the time she moved to warn Max, he was already being confronted by the god. He took the blonde by the shoulder and turned him to face him, glaring angrily. "And what are you doing talking to my girlfriend you little punk?"

Max, who had no experience in situations like this, answered honestly. "I guess I'm talking to your girlfriend." The angry god threw his hand back to knock Max down, and the young one threw he arms up to protect himself from the electric-infused strike. In a flash, Lind was dashing towards him, and in another instant the aggressor was flash-frozen. His expression was stuck in a permanently surprised one. Max wiggled free from his hand, which was unfrozen, and ran over to Lind, hiding behind her and peeking out at the god-sickle.

The older goddess sighed and shook her head, smiling at Lind. "Don't worry about him, he deserved it anyways. I was actually going to break up with him because he kept picking fights with guys who talked to me." Without even trying to unthaw her ex, she turned heel and walked off, not even looking back at him.

"Lind, don't you think that was a bit extreme?" Max whimpered from behind the valkyrie. She glared at Max, making him shrink back a bit.

"You should be more careful," she replied coldly, glaring daggers through him. "I wouldn't have to be so extreme if you'd stay out of situations like that." Max's eyes began to water a little and he looked pathetically up at her. She couldn't help but feel slightly softer towards him when he looked so helpless. "Hmph. Come on, I'll get you a new ice cream cone. But don't eat it whole this time!" Max's eye's lit up and he nodded happily.

'Dear lord,' Lind thought to herself, 'He doesn't even look or act his age…'

000

_Entry number 429_

_January 16_

_Okay, so today something really awesome happened. The angel egg worked! I mean, I didn't get an angel like I planned or anything like that, but I did grow up! I'm a big guy now! My hair's longer, my chest is bigger and firmer, and I even feel myself pressing down on my paper harder! I feel stronger, faster… I don't feel any smarter though…_

_But the weirdest things are happening now! I was talking to this woman in the park, and her boyfriend attacked me! I didn't even do anything! It must be my hormones or something… oh yeah, after the park I went back home and Yrutai gave me this book full of information about what's going on. I'm reading through it now. Hehe, there's a naked guy in one picture, I can't believe Yrutai gave me something so pervy._

_But something else happened… I didn't say anything because I thought Lind would be mad but… I thought she looked kinda… ummm… I don't exactly know the word… hold on, I'll check the book. Ah, sexy. I thought she looked sexy. I didn't say anything though… Velda may hurt me more, but Lind would hurt me worse. I don't know why I thought that… she didn't look sexy before… but when I saw her earlier tonight in her pajamas, like I do every night she takes care of me, she just looked that way. _

_Yeah, she won't bathe me anymore. She told me that I can do it myself. I can though! It's easier now, but it's kind of lonely without someone to talk with… she got mad again when I came into the living room with wet hair. But for some reason she calmed down quicker than she usually does… I think she's trying to help me adjust to being grown up._

_Anyways, I like this new body of mine… I secretly hope that Lind will spar with me tomorrow. Here's hoping! cross fingers_

Thank all of you readers for bearing with me there. This story has become my most popular one, so I'm going to be working more on it for the time being. Anyways, you know what comes next. You do the part where you click that little button… REVIEW!


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